Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-09-28
Tle YoIunieer,s Victory.

The Scotch cutter Thistle and the Amer
lean sloop Volunteer met yesterday in their
first contest for the Americas cup, and the
Volunteer, as stated in yesterday IS GAZETTE,
beat the foreigner badly. The people who
went down on the three hundred river
steamboats,, tugs, steam yachts, sailing
yachts and boats numbered easily fifty
thousand, and the scene presented by the
mass of crafts, cannot be described, the
incessgnt gun firing and steam whistlng
caliingiorth the widest kind OF enthusiasm.
The race would have been started 1T 1880
8. M, but ct that hour there was not air
enough to blow q match out. As noon ap
preached. however, q gentle breeze sprang
up, and the Thistle soon began to move
about in very lively fashion in the light
air. She appeared TO take much pleasure
in running past and around the Volunteer,
which she did several times, and every time
met with loud appreciation from admiring
spectators, who seemed confident that she
would win the first race. The Thistle not
only had the nearer position when the order
to start was given, but she also went through
the water the faster The yachts then went
over on the port tack, and at once the Vol
unteer began to overhaul the Thistle. show
ing superiority over the Thistle in wealth
er that had been written down
as the foreigners best that left no
doubt of the result. The Volunteer wen.
by the Thistle IS though the latter was an
chored, and she staged in front to the end.
The Thistle was moro than little bother
ell by the excursion boats Oh that first tack.
The steamers crossed her boys rad gave her
much swasb, but after that The steamers
hung to the Volunteer, the leader, and
throughout The rest Of the day che suffered
three times, at least, as The Thistle did, from
the way they Kicked up the water and shut
off tho wird. IL was no longer race it
was procession aud the result was almost
decisive victory for tho American sloop.
Beating, reaching aud running with FREQ
sheet, tho Volunteer ouisAied the Thistle.
On tholun home she lost ground largely On
account of III" WAY The accompanying craft
b'anketod her. The Volunteer presented a
magnificent epe ciaric as she cemo looming
I'D the bay, with the ttiumphal procession
OF boats behind her, each flying every shred
of bunting that could be had. The Thistle
crossed the line with all sails set about
twenty minutes behind the victor.
The second race will be called over
the outside course of forty miles.
The Signal Office furnishes the following
special weather Indications For vicinity Of
New York Thursday rainy weather, fresh
and brisk easterly winds, NeeriDg to south
ery.
After the race Mr.. James Bell, owner of
the Thistle, said he was not satisfied with
the result. TIE Thistle, be declared, had
never moved SO slowly through the water.
He was Of the opinion that there was "some.
thing wrong with the cutters bottom" and
she would be hauled out of water with
view toward finding out what it was. Capt.
Barr said he had sailed the Thistle every
time she had been out, and he never knew
her to move so badly on the wind.
Gen. Paine and Mr.. Edward Burgess, of
the Volunteer, took the victory quietly.
Capt. Half said that the reason the Thistle
sailed so much faster before the start was
that the Volunteer did not have her centre
board down, on account of shallow water
inside of buoy IS.
The London daily papers are chagrined
over the result of the race. but admit that
the Thistle was squarely beaten. They say
That America still holds the yachting gu
prcmacy that she won thirty.six years ago.
Ga the Clyde it was confidently expected
that the Thistle would win, and the result
will be bitter disappontne to all con.
cerned